Barelas rail yards: Bridging past, future

Published: Friday, September 27th, 2013 at 12:05am

Updated: Friday, September 27th, 2013 at 5:56am

The Barelas rail yards at 1100 Second SW will be open to the public today at a free celebration that offers a first look at the $900,000 repair and renovation, music, a car show, food, a video game truck, and a fashion boutique truck. City officials offered a sneak peek Thursday of the newly renovated historic blacksmith shop in the Barelas rail yards, which stopped operations in the 1960s. The shop is the first area of the yards to undergo repairs that make it safe for visitors. The public is invited to the grand opening today.(Marla Brose/Journal)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It’s a monstrous site, unlike any other in Albuquerque – a mix of steel, bricks and green-tinted windows.

And, for the first time, the public is invited to see it from the inside.

The city today is sponsoring a grand-opening celebration for the old blacksmith shop in the Barelas rail yards, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. After $900,000 in repairs, the massive building is the first at the rail yards that is safe for visitors.

Gilbert Montaño, deputy chief administrative officer under Mayor Richard Berry, said the celebration is a chance to stand inside a piece of Albuquerque’s history. At one point, the rail yards employed about one-quarter of the city’s workforce, he said.

“It took Albuquerque from a farming, agrarian community to the industrial city we have today,” Montaño said Thursday as he walked through the building.

The rail yards were in full operation from about 1915 to the early 1960s.

The blacksmith shop – a brick building on the north end of the 27-acre site – is the first to be fixed up by city crews. The city is still negotiating a development agreement with Samitaur Constructs, a California-based company, to guide work on the rest of the site and outline who’s responsible for what.

To get the blacksmith shop ready, the city repaired the roof, removed asbestos, fixed windows, added a sprinkler system and covered graffiti. There are temporary restrooms on site.

A new sign christens the building “The Yards.”

“I’m excited for Albuquerque to see some of its history,” said Michael Riordan, the city’s director of municipal development.

Montaño said the hope is that people will rent the building for wedding receptions, car shows and other events. Today is a chance to check it out for free, he said.